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Little unexpected pleasures of owning an old Home

If you’re in the process of comparing properties for future purchase – or maybe you’re just checking what’s available on the market to gain an overview – you’ve probably come across a variety of houses from newly built to old homes. While most conscious homeowners agree that a modern building presents significant advantages, starting with its insulation and energy efficiency, it’s impossible not to love the charm of an old property. Houses that have served as home for many generations before you can be maintenance heavy. But if you are looking for an unexpected interior feeling, you can’t beat the excitement of an old home. Why so? Because they open the door on a world of little pleasures:

Buying real antiques

IKEA furniture comes with the advantage that they are suited for the tiniest of spaces; making them the ideal choice for someone who’s bought a recently built townhome. But if you’ve picked an ancient property, you have a lot more choice when it comes to interior decor. Indeed, old houses often have bigger rooms and higher ceilings, meaning that you’ve got enough space for that old countryside wardrobe you’ve spotted on the flea market. This gives you the opportunity to create a decor that looks like no other, relying on professional furniture delivery to get your items. You don’t want to transport real wood furniture by yourself; it would be too heavy.

Receiving messages from the previous occupants

As a rule of the thumb, most old walls are covered in an inch-thick layer of wallpaper, accumulated over the generations of owners. But you’d be surprised to catch glimpses of the past as you remove the wallpaper. From size charts of the children who used to live there to a message of welcome from the previous family – as this American woman discovered in her home in Charlottetown – these testimonials serve as snapshots of what life used to be then.

Having a real fireplace

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find out that your home has a fireplace that has been blocked up during the 1980s and the 1990s. However, modern houses don’t come with a fireplace as a matter of safety and cost. When you buy a house that was built before the 1950s, you can gain access to a full-sizefireplace with a chimney that you can even bring back to life with the support of a professional. A chimney has become a status symbol. Needless to say, you’ll love sitting in front of your fireplace when the weather gets grey and cold outside!

And the rest

And finally, there’s something that you can’t find in a modern building; personality. Indeed, your old home is the product of the affection, tastes and lifestyles of its previous owners. It makes you feel part of something bigger, built to last, and that has developed a character of its own.

An old home comes at a high cost, from maintenance to energy. But, it’s an emotional journey that makes you appreciate the little pleasures of life you never thought about before.